Migraine Treatment for Lasting Relief
Frequent migraines can interfere with work, disrupt your sleep, and make daily life feel overwhelming. This neurological condition is often marked by intense throbbing pain on one side of the head, and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. A migraine can be triggered by hormonal changes, stress, poor sleep, or neck dysfunctions.
At Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic, we’ve found the neck to be a major driver of migraines, especially with irritated nerves. We help clients manage symptoms and offer safe, drug-free migraine treatments for lasting relief.
We work to reduce or eliminate the impact of migraine triggers, not just avoid them
Scientifically Proven Therapies
Watson Headache® Approach
Natural, Drug-Free Treatments
Treatment Guarantee
Comprehensive Assessment
We understand how disruptive and painful migraines can be.
What are Migraines?
Migraines are a complex condition affecting how your brain and nerves process pain and sensory input, characterised by a heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli. It typically involves a severe, one-sided headache but may also occur without head pain.
Migraines often happen in phases, starting with early warning signs like an aura and building up to the more intense symptoms. These attacks can last anywhere from a few hours to several days, leaving you drained and unable to focus.
Our migraine clinic aims to reduce their intensity, duration, and recurrence through evidence-based care.
Safe & Fast
All techniques involve targeted, slow and sustained pressure. There is NO manipulation (cracking) of the spine.
Effective
80% of people assessed have treatable and relevant dysfunction. Most of these will see significant changes in the first two weeks.
100% Natural
No drugs, needles, toxic chemicals or side-effects. Just correcting a previously misunderstood fault in biomechanics.
Migraine Symptoms
Migraine symptoms, also known as migraine attacks, vary widely from person to person. For some, they happen occasionally, while others experience chronic migraines with symptoms present on most days. Common signs include:
- Throbbing or pulsing head pain, often on one side
- Aura, which may involve visual disturbances like flashing lights, zigzag patterns, or blind spots
- Pain that worsens with movement or physical activity
- Sensitivity to light, sound, or smell
- Nausea or vomiting
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Dizziness or loss of balance (vestibular migraine)
- Muscle weakness (hemiplegic migraine)
- Difficulty concentrating, speaking, or ringing in the ears
What Causes Migraines?
While the exact cause of a migraine varies, it can be linked to genetics and environmental factors. It involves temporary changes in the brain, including how nerves and blood vessels respond to external and internal triggers.
Our clinical experience shows that neck dysfunction, particularly in the upper neck, plays a vital role. When these joints are restricted or irritated, they can overstimulate the brainstem and trigger migraines. Other contributing factors can include past head or neck injury, sleep disorders, or underlying conditions affecting the central nervous system.
Migraine Triggers
Although triggers don’t always cause a migraine, they can induce migraine attacks when they hit a sensitised brainstem. These triggers could be:
- Alcohol consumption
- Weather or air pressure changes
- Sleep disturbances (oversleeping or sleep deprivation)
- Hormonal changes (premenstrual period or menstruation)
- Skipping meals, hunger or dehydration
- Stress, intense emotions, or sudden relaxation after stress affecting cortisol levels
- Bright lights or too much screen use, strong smells, or loud sounds
- Heat or exercise
- Food additives such as artificial sweeteners, tyramine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and nitrates
Migraine Diagnosis
We start with a thorough initial appointment that includes checking your medical history and running assessments of your neck, jaw, and related nerves. Our physio for migraines looks for patterns in how, when, and where your symptoms occur, helping distinguish between the different types of migraines and offering accurate treatment.
Migraine Treatment
At Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic, after a thorough evaluation to determine if your neck is the cause of a brainstem sensitisation, we draw up a targeted plan to fix the fault at the top of your neck.
Using slow, sustained pressure, based on the Watson Headache® Approach, our migraine treatment helps reduce irritation of the nerves near the brainstem, helping decrease the sensitivity causing migraines. Natural and drug-free, there is no cracking or injections involved. We expect to see significant improvements around the fifth treatment; otherwise we cease the therapy.
Why See a Physio for Your Migraine?
Migraines often stem from structural or nerve-related causes, linked to stiffness, muscle imbalance, or joint dysfunction in the neck. We help correct this fault in biomechanics.
If you’re tired of relying on medication or haven’t had success with standard care, we specialise in treating migraines, identifying the exact cause and treating them effectively. From migraines with aura to ocular migraines, we’ve treated patients from all walks of life – we’re here to help you too.
Migraine Physio with World-Class Training
Lead practitioner Michael Hayward is a Level 3 Watson Headache® Certified Practitioner with over 34 years of clinical experience. He has completed advanced training in Australia and globally with leading experts, bringing a well-rounded understanding of biomechanics and neurology and how they influence migraine treatment. His expertise allows our migraine clinic to offer precise, safe treatment built on decades of hands-on experience.
Your Migraine Clinic That Looks Beyond the Surface
Many people come to our migraine clinic after trying medications, supplements, or other therapies without lasting relief. Our migraine physio helps uncover what might have been missed, looking at how your neck and jaw function might contribute to your pain.
We also screen for red flags, such as high blood pressure, cancer or vertebral artery concerns, to ensure your safety. If your case requires a different approach, our team can help with your next steps so you’re never left without direction.
We also treat...
Our experts treat a number of headache and jaw pain issues, and have a high level of knowledge and experience with any pain you may be suffering from.
Call us today to see
how we can help you
Migraine Treatment FAQs
Early signs, also known as the premonitory phase, can include mood changes, brain fog, neck aches or stiffness, speech difficulties, and increased sensitivity to light or sound. In the aura phase, you may experience visual disturbances, numbness, dizziness, confusion, or difficulty speaking, before the migraine begins.
Migraines can last anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days, depending on the person and the severity of the episode. Some people also experience lingering symptoms, like fatigue or trouble concentrating, even after the pain has eased.
At our migraine clinic, we focus on reducing the intensity and duration by treating underlying neck-related dysfunctions.
Yes. Many people with migraines experience nausea or even vomiting, and some have visual disturbances like flashing lights, blind spots, or zigzag lines. If you’re living with ocular or retinal migraine, it can cause changes in your vision or loss of vision in one eye that goes away by itself.
Book an appointment with our migraine physiotherapists if you’re experiencing frequent migraines, your migraines have changed in pattern or don’t respond to usual treatment. You should also seek help if your migraines are sudden, severe, or present with concerning symptoms.
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We are the original North Coast Head Neck & Jaw Clinic
